Hathorn presents the kind of bold plan Youngstown needs

When Youngstown Schools su- perintendent Connie Hathorn came to town, he told some people that he didn’t know anybody and he didn’t owe anybody and he was going to do what he thought was best for the students.

This week, Youngstown saw the fruits of Dr. Hathorn’s labor during the early months of his tenure here, and it clearly reflects his independence and willingness to shake things up. Only an outsider would have had the audacity to not only say that it is time that the Youngstown City School District recognize that it is a one-high-school district, but to actually take the district there.

And take it there quickly.

There is so much in the Youngstown City School District Revitalization Plan that Hathorn unveiled Wednesday after weeks of speculation and leaks that it is bound to have elements that inspire some grousing. But clearly one of the things Hathorn recognized after a relatively short time in town was that the last thing the city school district needed was a timid approach or a reorganization based on half measures.

Plan highlights

And so, under Hathorn’s plan:

East will be home to most of the school district’s 10th through 12th graders, all of its high school athletic teams and the marching band. It will offer a full array of coursework including art, music, advanced placement and college-prep courses, as well as electives in business, education and law. It will provide half-day academic classes for 11th and 12th graders who choose Choffin career and technical programs.

Chaney will be a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) magnet for students in grades 6 through 12, and will also host visual and performing arts (VPA) for the same grades. The Rayen Early College, which prepares sixth through eighth graders for the Youngstown Early College will be there. Students in the Chaney programs will be eligible to compete on the East High athletic teams.

The plan also consolidates sixth and seventh graders at two middle schools, Volney and Wilson, and all eighth and ninth graders at P. Ross Berry.

Seven elementary schools will be maintained, though there will be some redistricting between Martin Luther King, Harding and Williamson to relieve overcrowding at MLK.

Good initial reaction

Some people have already gotten behind Hathorn, and we’d say others should. It is difficult to undergo change and particularly difficult to see traditions fall by the wayside. But this plan is not about yesterday; it is about tomorrow.

It’s unfortunate that some past board members and the previous superintendent did not have Hathorn’s recognition that Youngstown city schools had gone beyond the point of being saved by half measures. We recall suggesting years ago, before the first shovel was turned in the district’s $160 million rebuilding program, that it was time to do more than just build new buildings. It was time, instead, to redefine how Youngstown was going to educate its next generation and build schools to meet those needs.

Hathorn must work with the buildings he has, but his willingness to look beyond their walls is refreshing and encouraging — and for students and staff, we hope, exciting.